Congress fails to override second SCHIP veto

A second attempt by Congress tried unsuccessfully to override President Bush's veto of the SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) expansion failed on Wednesday.

The House of Representatives voted 260-152 in favor of the bill. A two-thirds majority is needed to override a presidential veto, and this vote was 15 ayes short. A previous override attempt failed with almost the exact same vote tally.

Democratic leaders, who pressed for the override, said it would help the nation's recent economic downturn to save millions of low-income people the expensive of health insurance. President Bush said the bill would provide health insurance to "high-income" households, while raising taxes (albeit on cigarettes) to do so.

Pundits say the veto attempt was an attempt by Congressional Democrats to bring up the SCHIP issue in the week before the President's State of the Union address.